Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid has dominated headlines from the word go.
The months of speculation, the fact Paris St-Germain had to let him go for free, the astronomical wages, the hype and expectation.
And now, the French forward’s struggle to settle into this team of superstars.
“We haven’t seen the best of Mbappe tonight,” former Real midfielder Steve McManaman said on TNT Sports.
“They needed Mbappe tonight and he flattered to deceive. The Madrid press will be ruthless because he didn’t deliver again when he needed to.
“Madrid are going through a rough patch and the big players are not performing. All the baggage around Mbappe magnifies it. This year they are really, really struggling.”
Mbappe has not found his feet and questions remain over his position and how to get the best out of both he and Vinicius Jr, who plays a similar role, in the same team.
In the absence of Vinicius Jr through injury, Mbappe still failed to make his mark. But his team-mates remain confident he can produce.
“Kylian is a wonderful player but the pressure is humongous,” said Bellingham.
“The penalty is not why we lost the game. Kylian can keep his head high and I know for sure he will produce many more big moments for this club.”
